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A double staining method using SYTOX green and calcofluor white for studying fungal parasites of phytoplankton.
- Source :
-
Applied and environmental microbiology [Appl Environ Microbiol] 2013 Jul; Vol. 79 (13), pp. 3943-51. Date of Electronic Publication: 2013 Apr 19. - Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- We propose a double staining method based on the combination of two fluorochromes, calcofluor white (CFW; specific chitinous fluorochrome) and SYTOX green (nucleic acid stain), coupled to epifluorescence microscopy for counting, identifying, and investigating the fecundity of parasitic fungi of phytoplankton and the putative relationships established between hosts and their chytrid parasites. The method was applied to freshwater samples collected over two successive years during the terminal period of autumnal cyanobacterial blooms in a eutrophic lake. The study focused on the uncultured host-parasite couple Anabaena macrospora (cyanobacterium) and Rhizosiphon akinetum (Chytridiomycota). Our results showed that up to 36.6% of cyanobacterial akinetes could be parasitized by fungi. Simultaneously, we directly investigated the zoosporic content inside the sporangia and found that both the host size and intensity of infection conditioned the final size and hence fecundity of the chytrids. We found that relationships linking host size, final parasite size, and chytrid fecundity were conserved from year to year and seemed to be host-chytrid couple specific. We concluded that our double staining method was a valid procedure for improving our knowledge of uncultured freshwater phytoplankton-chytrid couples and so of the quantitative ecology of chytrids in freshwater ecosystems.
- Subjects :
- Body Size
Chytridiomycota physiology
Fertility physiology
France
Lakes microbiology
Microscopy, Fluorescence methods
Organic Chemicals
Statistics, Nonparametric
Anabaena
Benzenesulfonates
Chytridiomycota isolation & purification
Eutrophication physiology
Phytoplankton microbiology
Staining and Labeling methods
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1098-5336
- Volume :
- 79
- Issue :
- 13
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Applied and environmental microbiology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 23603679
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00696-13